Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com

WHITTIER, Calif. – The Whittier College Volleyball team proved a tough test at home Tuesday evening as they threatened No. 12 Claremont-M-S falling in four sets 25-19, 25-20, 27-29, 25-19 in front of a raucous crowd in the Graham Athletic Center. 

The Poets have now wrapped up play against the top three teams in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Standings threatening both La Verne and Claremont-M-S as they move to 14-9, 5-6 SCIAC. 

After dropping a tight first two sets and being in a hole 2-0, the Purple & Gold bounced back to keep the upset attempt alive putting together a number of runs that gave them a 29-27 win in the third.  Upon trailing 19-17, Whittier capitalized on three CMS attacking errors and a ball handling error to go in front 21-19.  The Athena's would battle back to go back in front 22-21 but again the Poets put together a run of four straight led by a Rebecca Slattery (Los Altos, Calif.) kill and a service ace from Haley Whyte (Mission Viejo, Calif.) that gave them two set points. 

CMS then managed to battle off both to tie things up at 24-24, Olive Anagu (Culver City, Calif.) would connect from the outside to put WC back in front before CMS would come back to tie things up on the very next point. 

Anagu gave the Poets another chance to get the frame on the very next point but again the Athena's Margaux Arnston would come up with a kill herself that kept CMS alive.  But their luck would run out as Casie Lowden (Glendora, Calif.) would lay the hammer down before an attacking error by Sarah Bruml would put Whittier on the scoreboard.

In the fourth, CMS jumped out to a demanding 4-0 lead.  Whittier tried to keep it close getting as close as two at 10-8 but that's as close as they would get as the Athena's would go on to edge the Poets 25-19 despite a final 3-0 run by the Purple & Gold with kills from Lowden and Slattery and an ace by Lowden.

Lowden had a huge game with a double double with a match high 19 kills coupled with 16 digs.  Anagu had a breakout performance with 12 kills and Slattery and Whyte each had eight kills.  Jennifer Estrada (Pasadena, Calif.) had 17 digs in the backrow, while Torrey Mitsunaga (Culver City, Calif.) and Jasmine Tong split the setting duties finishing with 27 and 20, each respectively.

Whittier returns to the court this weekend for two big match-ups.  Friday, October 23 they travel to Occidental College with game time set for 7:30pm and the very next day Saturday, October 24 they take on Chapman at home during Homecoming Weekend beginning at 2:00pm.  Both games have playoff implications on the line.